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How to stop profuse external localized bleeding

Modified on: Wed, 25 Oct, 2017 at 4:36 PM

If you find a dog with profuse bleeding from a hit an run to the limbs or from a knife or similar sharp object especially that has cut the main blood vessel – you have only minutes before the dog will go into shock from loss of blood and die.

Follow these steps:

Muzzle the dog to prevent it lashing out and biting you. Tips & tricks: If you don’t have a muzzle or the dog won’t let you muzzle make a simple ‘O’ know with a chord or a shoelace and slip it over the dog’s snout, then make 1 simple knot so it can’t open its snout and then take the chord over its head and below its neck – and twist and then take it from the neck like a collar and tie it above and behind its head.

Press a clean, thick gauze pad over the wound, and keep pressure over the wound with your hand until the blood starts clotting. This will often take several minutes for the clot to be strong enough to stop the bleeding. Instead of checking it every few seconds to see if it has clotted, hold pressure on it for a minimum of 3 minutes and then check it. Tips & tricks: You can use a ladies sanitary pad if bleeding is profuse and you don’t have access to medical supplies – can be bought from any nearby shop.

If bleeding is severe and on the legs, apply a tourniquet (using an elastic band or gauze) between the wound and the body, and apply a bandage and pressure over the wound. Loosen the tourniquet for 20 seconds every 15-20 minutes. Severe bleeding can quickly be life-threatening—get your animal to a veterinarian immediately if this occurs.

Consider injecting Botropase and Vitamin K. This will stop the bleeding till when you get the dog some help.